What a Relief!!!

I've been trying to figure out how to write this post, I've been fumbling over my words for the past week, but you know I've come to the conclusion that I don't have to sugar coat anything!  Just be open and honest, so....here it goes! =)

I've known what the outcome was going to be, but I will admit to finally hear it did, in fact, bring tears to my eyes!  Those tears weren't because I'm devastated or upset by the diagnosis, but because everything that I've known and have seen for the past 4 years, now has a name!  There's a reason why milestone's haven't been reached, there's a reason communication has been weak, and there's a reason why socially we have to plan every event we attend or not attend due to it!   That "name" on the piece of paper that was handed to us at the end of our appointment will now open more doors, keep people off my back, give me the leverage I need to not have to fight so hard, and truly keep things in perspective for the future growth of my son!  I'm sure you are wondering and if you haven't figured it out by now that name is....Autism!  Yep, you read that right. I'm now officially an "Autism Mommy" LOL!  It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it. =)  Every memory of this journey now has a new meaning, every step has been an accomplishment, and now every moment we will embrace even more.  You see with autism, every small accomplishment is HUGE and it now makes sense!

Colin, our little monkey, was diagnosed last Friday with Level 2 Autism.  That day will forever be embedded in my brain, because that was the day that my "Mommy Hunch" was confirmed, the day that my worst fear was put to rest, and the day that a new beginning was started!  I feel such a HUGE relief that I can't even begin to explain!  As his mother, I've known from the moment they put him on my chest at the hospital that something about him was different!  I tried my best to listen to all the people calling me crazy these past few years, but something deep down always made me come back to researching about it, asking questions, and jotting down notes.  I knew it and last Friday was the confirmation I was longing for!!!  You know, the best part about having the diagnosis now, is all those emotions that I worked through during those early years helped me to the point of sitting here today not afraid of it, but rather embracing it!  It doesn't change anything for us...the love we feel is the same and the life we live will continue....the only thing this does, is free us from a lot of future headache!  Now that this final piece of our puzzle has been connected, I no longer live in fear of the future for Colin!!!  Getting the "label" certainly was a bittersweet moment in our life, but now that we have it, life instantly got a whole lot easier!

Finally, I'll end this post with a quote that I found, "Autism was not something that I had planned for my life, but now that it is, I sure LOVE my tour guide"!!!  That speaks volumes to me, because I sure do love my monkey with every fiber of my being and the life he has brought to us, I wouldn't change for anything!!!  

My sweet boy waiting for Dr. Ravenscroft to return w/ the news!!!!

Crazy, Crazy!!!

I didn't realize it's been so long since I sat down to actually type up a post......but, honestly, life has been a bit crazy these past few weeks.  If it wasn't one thing, it was another and I was having a hard time keeping up.  Not really anything new going on at our house, pretty much, just continuing to go through the motions of this thing we call life....hahaha!  I think, truly, I can actually say that every member of the Shroyer family is now healthy again....for how long, only time will tell! LOL!!!  This mama has been dealing with sickness for about 3 weeks now and I can happily say that Ethan, the last leg of it, is back to normal.  That poor kid got hit with a whammy last week w/ double ear infection, sore throat, and sinus infection was put on 2 Rx's, ear drops, and we had to add Motrin to the mix because his pain was so bad.  Thank God, my sister who's an RN, just lives over the hill because she came to the rescue Friday night!  A few weeks ago, poor Colin was sick and so was Brenton with a head cold, upset stomach, etc.....I didn't have time to really think straight, but to just keep administering medicine!  I'm not cut out to be a nurse, but I tried my best to take care of my guys.

It's been so cold here lately that we've had snow days, 2 hour delays, or just stayed inside to stay warm.    But, Brenton and I decided to head to Columbus for his birthday celebration and even though it was really cold, we had a blast together.  We just hit the city, not knowing what we wanted to do, but we explored, shopped, ate, and shopped some more.  I found a shop that I absolutely love in downtown Worthington, so we'll be going down a lot more now....lol!  Birthday's are a big deal at our house, so turning 36 for the man of the house, turned out to be fun.  Monday, was his actual birthday, so the boys and I set out early to get everything done that we needed to for him.  When we got back home we decorated, wrapped presents, and made his traditional cheesecake (he doesn't care for cake).  Overall, I think he had a great birthday and we look forward to many more to celebrate!!!

Anyway, it's been a crazy few weeks, so I'll spare all the words and just share it in photo's!  I like picture's better anyway!!!

Cheers!!!! =)

I sit here this morning typing this post realizing that this house is quiet.....too quiet for my liking, but yet, I've also been able to get a lot accomplished!  I was getting a little stir crazy, not knowing why, but today it hit me.....I needed a little time to myself!  Time to recoup, think, and just plain do what I want to do without little voices calling me every which way!  The first time in like a month, my morning's are a little more calming while the boys are at school & Brenton is at work.  I sit here with my house clean, laundry done, myself showered & ready for the day, drinking a cup of coffee, and watching the Today show. YAY!!!!  I feel more relaxed than I have in several weeks and knowing that the week ahead is planned out, appointments made, and paperwork finalized I'm thrilled & feel like I can conquer the world.  Don't get me wrong, every ounce of me adores my guys and I absolutely love being a wife & mother, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I also miss myself!!!!  I hate that I have to let them go, but I also see how great they're doing in school, making friends, growing in their life is helping me realize that it's ok to let go, enjoy a little free time to myself, and work on getting Melinda back!  For so long, I've been Brenton's wife, Ethan's mom, and Colin's mom, which these roles, I adore and are a major part of me that will forever be; however, I'm finding that I can't be the best in those roles if I'm not "whole" in my own role of being just plain me....you know that saying, "If Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy" well, as cynical as it sounds, it's true!  Not in the "diva" sense, but for me, it's the little things and this is the year that I feel I'm ready to get myself back.  2014, is my year, my year to get back to the women that is in me wanting to get out....I'll spare you all the details of my resolutions, but I'm looking forward to this year.  My guys are all taken care of and moving forward growing in their lives, so I feel this is the perfect time to get myself back on track and become a better person, better wife, and better mother!  I plan to "make mama happy" and with the support of my family, I know I can do it.  If anyone reading this has also set some personal resolutions for this year....good luck to you & remember we can do this!!!! Here's to us, cheers!!!

New Year Amongst Us!

Hard to believe that 2013 is over and 2014 is now amongst us!  Truly I mean this when I say it...."where did the time go"?!  Since Christmas was all about the hustle and bustle and enjoying the season with our families, we decided that the New Year celebration was going to be all about our little family.  Bringing in the New Year together, at our new home, making new memories was what we wanted to do.  Nobody else around, but us...man, we had such a fun night, too.  I wanted something fun, something that could possibly be a new tradition for us, but not tacky or boring.....so, I found on Pinterest the idea about activity bags and time capsules.....that got me thinking and I created our own version and combined the two!  I created hourly activity bags that consisted of items that would go into our 2013 memory box and boy, was it a hit!  Ethan, loved everything about it and kept us on time.  We started at 5pm and each hour brought something new.  We created handprints, answered questions from the year, ate treats, drew pictures, played games, and finally created our memory box.  It was really fun and will now be our new tradition for each and every New Year's Eve.....I'm looking forward to what fun we will have at the end of 2014 when we open that box, before creating a new one!  I love my family and truly, love that we can have as much fun as we do with just being us!  What a fun New Years!!!

While we were waiting for the ball to drop and enjoying our little party here at home, I couldn't help but think back upon the year......it truly was a really good one for us!  It's funny, b/c thinking back to where we were last year at this time, I remember sitting in our living room at our home in New Phila, drinking coffee, and wondering where would 2013 take us?  It seemed like we had such a hard year ahead, but now looking back, it wasn't bad at all!   My #1 goal (aka: resolution) was to get Colin potty trained!  I thought for sure it was going to take a long time to get accomplished, b/c last January marked 7 months that we were trying to get it done and he had no interest.....well, January 20th, 2013 that all changed and little man took his 1st pee in his potty all by himself, by Feburary he was doing both 1 & 2 in the potty, and my March he was getting us to go.  Let's just say, when the flood gates opened there was no turning back! YAY!!  I'm learning with Colin, when he wants to do it, he'll do it!  So proud of my little monkey, 2013 was a great year for him...he accomplished the potty, started Equestrian therapy, started preschool, and has really come out of his shell!  My #2 resolution was for Ethan...you see 2013 started out rough for him!  He hated school, I mean getting him into the building was torture and he cried every day.  I knew something was wrong and tried my best to fix it, but I quickly realized this wasn't my battle to fight....he had to learn to stick up for himself!  So, after a conference and a few discussions at home with him, he did it....he defended himself and after that moment on the playground, he started to change and I knew it would be ok.....Finally, my #3 resolution was to get my husband happy! LOL!!  I knew for awhile he hated our house in New Phila and actually, just hated living in New Phila to be honest....so, going against what I wanted (at the time) we decided last January to put our house on the market!  I knew for sure it wouldn't sell and we'd still be there, so signing a 6 month contract with a realtor didn't seem all that bad.....well, it went on the market Feburary 2013 and by the end of March, it was sold!!!  Had no idea where we were going, but the house was no longer ours and finding a new home was a must......that lead us here, to where I sit right now typing this blog post, in our home, in Gnadenhutten!!!  This is the place we always said that "one day we'll call home" and sure enough, we did it!

Anyway, I'm so proud to say that all 3 of my resolutions were accomplished....1) Colin is potty trained and further along than I ever imagined 2) Ethan accomplished kindergarten and LOVES being an Indian Valley Brave now, completely different kid and doing well in his new school and 3) My husband is happier than ever being here....I knew, but didn't realize how unhappy he was being in New Phila and the move to Gnadenhutten was just what we needed.  Turns out that the fears I had last year are now something I can look back and laugh about, because my prayers were answered!